Raw sewage continues to affect Centro Habana

Decaying infrastructure hurts Cubans' quality of life

HAVANA – Off San Lazaro Street in Centro Habana, Nancy Castro said the sewage backup in her building continues. The raw sewage is creeping into her patio. 

She is worried about the children in the neighborhood and she said she is also concerned about the smell and the health risks. 

"The clogging is happening all the time," Castro said. 

Workers, who Castro hopes will get the neighborhood new water and gas pipes, were digging Tuesday. Castro is among the residents who are waiting for local officials to upgrade and maintain their neighborhood's infrastructure. The leaky drainage system is also wasting water. 

 

Centro Habana's situation is not uncommon on the island. With very little maintenance, the infrastructure continues to deteriorate. The unsanitary situation is to blame for disease outbreaks like cholera and zika. 

 

The UNESCO World Heritage Site's crumbling infrastructure is only worsening with time. 

 

Cubans can't afford water bottles like tourists. While the aqueduct was designed to service about 600,000, the city is growing.Some experts also fear salt water intrusion will pollute the aquifers of the city.  

 

Meanwhile at Centro Havana, the government hasn't been able to identify and change all of the corroded pipes in the island's capital. It's a work in progress. 

 


About the Authors:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.